Ari's Rocket

Ari wanted to be an astronaut.

She wanted to fly to the moon.
She wanted to borrow a rocket,
But only for an afternoon.

It was hard to borrow a rocket,
So Ari knew just what to do.
She'd build herself a rocket.
And then she'd fly it to the moon.

And when she got there,
She'd look for the brightest star,
The brightest star is the one that she'd need.
For the brightest star is where her Opa would be.'

Ari began collect all the things,

She'd need to build a rocket.
Tin cans, cardboard, string
And a whole bunch of other things.

"And this", said Daddy,
"You'll need this for your rocket."
As an enormous ball of rubber bands
Appeared from his pocket.

'But,' he said,
'Be home in time for tea.
Take Solar along,
To keep you company.'

Ari worked all day,

And she worked all night.
She worked until her rocket,
Was pretty much ready,
To take its first flight.

She hoisted it onto her cart,
And dragged it to the beach.
Where she balanced it on a cliff,
While Solar watched on from his seat.              

Ari pushed the buttons,
But the rocket wouldn't fly
Maybe there was just one more thing,
Just one last thing..
That she could try.

So with a burst of speed,

She ran as fast as she could
She flew off into the air,
As the rocket rattled and shook.

The rocket hung in the air,
It didn't make a sound.

It somersaulted once,
And sped towards the ground.

It hit the ground..
It hit the ground with a ...'SPLAT'
Out flew Ari,
And out flew the cat.

The cat shot off
And the rocket lay in a heap,

Her beautiful rocket,
Lay crumpled at her feet.

But as she lay there,
She saw something in the sand.
She took a closer look,
And reached out to touch it with her hand.

It glistened and shone,
And as she brushed the sand aside.
She saw ...
What had been washed up by the morning tide.

She scooped it up into both hands
For it was very small.
She gazed up at the stars and smiled
For she had found  ...  the brightest star of all.

The Perfect Day!

Going to bed with a dream ..... Waking up with a purpose!

Make every day an Ice Cream kinda day!

Who Stole Tui's Ruffle?

Tui stared with horror and his fear began to grow.

Someone had stolen his beautiful, lacy ruffle.
And without his ruffle ... would that make him a .... CROW??

He took off in a panic and frantically began to circle and swoop,
"My ruffle has to be here." He cried, as he twirled another loop.
Suddenly he saw it bouncing and bobbing in the grass below,
And in a flash, he zoomed towards it and swooped in very low.

He zoomed in fast and aimed for that thieving chap.

That ruffle was HIS and he was taking it back!
But when he got close and tried to grab it firmly in his beak,
That thief lashed out angrily and he fell in an awkward, tumbling heap.

Clinging on, he yanked once more, but that ruffle was stuck!

It did not budge at all. It was glued firmly to that bunny’s butt.
The bunny squawked loudly and angrily shot down a nearby hole,
The tui tried to follow but he tripped and stumbled into a skidding roll.

Feathers flew everywhere and he quickly scurried away,
For that bunny had made an awful din.

He wanted to slip away before the other animals could make fun of him.
He zigzagged through the sky and swooped frantically once more,
Could his beautiful ruffle be lying trampled on the forest floor?

Then he saw them. The hikers camping at the river side.

They were COOKING his ruffle ... it was about to be fried!
He zoomed right in. His heart pounded loudly in his chest
And in one swoop, he scooped it up and clasped that ruffle to his breast.

They waved their fists at him and he heard their angry cries.

As he held on tight and began to swoop up into the sky,
But the ruffle was sticky and it clung stubbornly to his beak
It just wouldn't budge, so he used his wings, and then he used his feet.

Now his feet AND his wings were glued together,

And he couldn’t make a sound.
He was terribly stuck,
And he began to thrash wildly upon on the ground.

He stumbled blindly toward the lake, things were getting very hazy,

He couldn't breathe and the trees began spinning around him crazily.
Sniggering could be heard when he fell for the very third time,
And there high above him, sat a grinning crow watching his drunken climb.

He did not stop, for he could not open his mouth to speak,

He needed water to clear the goo that trickled from his beak.
Slipping and sliding, he finally made his way to the lake,
Where he threw himself in and he swam until his legs began to ache.

Finally when he could swim no more,
He dragged himself out of the water.

Where he lay panting in the hot summer sun.
And he lay there for the longest time wondering,
Without his ruffle, just WHAT had he become?

Suddenly he caught his reflection,

And he began to smile.
A lacy ruffle sat proudly at his throat.
Dazzlingly bright .. where it had been all the while.

He smiled happily to himself in the hot, summer sun,
And he remembered what the old owl had said when he was only young.

"Sometimes sonny" he said importantly.
"The things we cannot see for ourselves,
Are the things that can be so plainly seen by everyone else.

And what you may have been looking for, for so very long,
May have been right there  … plain to see all along."

Heidi Mulligan - Children's Author: Farewell

Heidi Mulligan - Children's Author: Farewell: I see luscious, green pines They are regal, straight and tall. But I know that soon it will be another, Who will sit and admire the bea...

Farewell

I see luscious, green pines

Standing like soldiers, straight and tall.
But it will soon be another,
Who will sit and admire the beauty of it all.

I gaze at the trees, regal and beautiful.

Dressed in dainty white flowers, fragile and small.
And I know that another,
Will sit here to enjoy their beauty, when I am here no more.

As I farewell this garden,

I marvel at how it has grown.
But at the end of this summer,
I know that it will be another,
That will cherish this garden as their own.

It is balmy and warm,

And the bees and buzz lazily by.
But as this summer draws to an end,
I will gift these beauties to another.
And they shall cherish this garden as their own.

I hear the water fountain.

It bubbles and gurgles lazily without a care.
But soon this serenity will belong to another.
For them to cherish when I am no longer here.

I see the tiniest birds flitting by.

As I sit and sip a lazy red wine.
And I know that this will soon be gone.
For another awaits to move in, to enjoy this garden of mine.

The music, it drifts lazily across the garden,

The melancholy strains float towards me, gentle and soothing,
But soon another will sit amid this serenity,
And enjoy all that this magical garden can bring.

I greedily drink in each sight, sound and smell.

So the memory will not fade.
For soon it will be a picture that only I can see,
And it will be another who will stand, where I stood today.

The call is becoming increasingly insistent now.
And I will preserve these memories, deep inside my mind.
Of how I lived here contently,
Amongst this graceful sanctuary of mine.

I will leave this land that I have called home.

And I will look to the young, upturned faces that await.
Filled with innocence and grace,
With anticipation shining in every face.

 I will enjoy their animated cries of delight.

And be part of their lives, lived simply and true
They are my collection of rare, exquisite blooms,
And as their numbers grow, so my resolve is renewed.

I will say farewell to this corner of the world.

For it is time to heed those that ask after me.
It is time to enjoy their uniqueness,
A time to cherish and nurture them delicately.

I know not where my future garden lies,

But I know that I will be just fine.
Because the little ones are calling.
They ask where it is that I have gone?

And as their voices grow increasingly loud.

The urgency rises to a deafening crescendo.
I can not, and will not stem their cries for me.
I will gently close the gate for the very last time.

And I know it is because I am coming home.
Where I will cherish a new garden
One that once again, I can call my very own.

My Gran is a FIFO Gran

Poppa Joe said my Gran is a FIFO Gran.
And when I asked him, "Why?"
He said, "Because she always flies in and flies back out when she comes to visit."

But I think Gran lives at the airport.
Because that is where we go to pick her up.
But daddy says Gran doesn't live at the airport,
She lives in country called Australia.

Australia is far away and we can't wait for Gran to visit.
She always comes with lots of luggage,
And my daddy has to fit it all in the car.
But she doesn't mind.
She winks and says it's because she has something for us.

When she gets to our house,
She sits and reads to me
Sometimes its the same book over and over again.
But she doesn't mind.

Mummy said, " Gran wins a prize for reading a book one thousand times."
But I know Gran didn't really read the book to me a thousand times,
Just a lot.
Because she doesn't mind.

She reads me bedtime stories,
Sometimes I pick a book with a hundred words.
And she reads it to me and doesn't skip any of the pages,
Because she doesn't mind.

She helps build towers and we work on puzzles together,
Over and over again I break them.
And she helps me build them back up.
Because she doesn't mind.

She brings coloured pens and loves to draw with me.
Sometimes I get the ink on my  hands and my clothes,
She doesn't mind. "It'll wash out", she says.

I watch her in the morning and she lets me use her brush and her cream,
And when I'm scared of the noise the blow drier makes,
She doesn't mind.
She shows me how it works and blows warm air on my feet.

She helps me to get dressed when it gets too difficult for me,
She says, "Can Gran help?"
She doesn't mind, she likes to help.

She sits in the back with me in the car,
Even though its very squishy.
But she doesn't mind.

If I ask nicely, she plays outside with me.
But sometimes it's raining and cold.
So she gets her coat,
Because she doesn't mind.

But best of all my Gran gives me cuddles.
And when I am full of germs and my nose is running,
She hugs me tight and plants kisses on my face,
Because she doesn't mind.

Finally the day comes when Gran must go home,
There are tears and I feel sad that she has to go.
Gran is sad too!
But she says, "Don't be sad, I'll be back real soon."

I make her a beautiful picture to take home with her,
And she lays it carefully in her bag.
Her clothes are crumpled,
But she doesn't mind.
She says my picture is safe and that's all that matters.

It is time for Gran to go.
She is waving madly as she drives away,
And I run along side her and I wave until she is gone.
I am sad but I don't mind,
Because I know I'll see her again real soon.